๐๏ธ Rest in Peace Tone Capone: The Genius Behind "I Got 5 On It" Gone at 59
The Bay Area producer who gave hip-hop one of its most iconic records ever has passed away. His family confirmed he died Saturday. He was 59. ๐
9/17/20262 min read
๐น The Man Behind the Beat
Tone Capone โ born Anthony Douglas Gilmour โ the Bay Area producer whose sound helped define West Coast hip-hop, has died at 59.
His family shared that he passed away on Saturday, September 12. No cause of death has been disclosed.
Growing up in Oakland, Capone started as a high-school DJ in the โ80s before producing under the name DJG in the early โ90s. He linked with his high school friend Mike Marshall of Timex Social Club, and together they crafted a beat built around Club Nouveauโs โWhy You Treat Me So Bad.โ
That beat became Lunizโs โI Got 5 On Itโ โ the 1995 crossover smash that hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the most recognizable rap records ever made.
Decades later, Jordan Peele reworked it into the haunting central motif of his 2019 horror film Us, introducing Caponeโs genius to a whole new generation.
๐ A Legacy That Stretched Coast to Coast
Caponeโs dense basslines and cinematic arrangements fueled classics for Mac Dre, E-40, Dru Down, 3X Krazy, Celly Cel and Devin the Dude โ and took him all the way to Houston, where he worked closely with Scarface on the 1997 platinum album The Untouchable, including the 2Pac collaboration โSmile.โ
In recent years, Capone reportedly lived in Las Vegas and worked a day job at a hospital before retiring โ a quiet genius who never chased the spotlight his sound deserved.
๐ The Tributes Pour In
Tributes from across the music industry continue to pour in, honoring Capone as a quiet architect whose sonic blueprints shaped the trajectory of West Coast hip-hop for generations.
๐ฅ The Snubbz Take
Some producers make beats. Tone Capone made HISTORY.
โI Got 5 On Itโ is one of those rare records that belongs to everybody โ the cookout, the club, the movie theater, the culture. He gave the world a sound that outlived trends, eras, and generations. Rest easy, legend. The Bay โ and all of hip-hop โ will never forget you. ๐๏ธ
#ToneCapone #IGot5OnIt #RIP #BayArea #HipHopLegend #WestCoast #Snubbz ๐ฐ๐ฃ